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2019 Christmas Countdown Service Calendar
This Christmas countdown service calendar is beautifully and simply designed helping you to welcome the Christmas season with simple acts of service. Designed with children and youth in mind, this calendar comes with delightful paper ornaments which allow you to mark your days of service. Also included is an ornament coloring page, allowing you to celebrate your service as you color a new ornament every day. We hope you find joy as you serve those you come in contact with while counting down the days until we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
Gifts for Jesus - NT Packet 2.5 (Download)
This packet is included in New Testament Bundle 2
January 14 - 20, Luke 2 and Matthew 2
Stars and Presents: Correlates to page 12 of Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families NT 2019. Stars and gifts to add active movement to your lesson.
Tip: Children, (and many teens and adults) learn through movement. Your family will be more engaged in your lessons if you can find a way to incorporate movement in them.
Tip: Cut out the star. Tape it to a stick. The wise men followed the star to find Jesus so they could give Him their gifts. Play a game of “Follow the Star” (follow the leader) with the leader raising the star up high while marching, skipping, hopping around the house.
Tip: What gift can we give Jesus? Rather than following a star to give our gift, our gift to Jesus is following His example. (Place a picture of Jesus on the star and then place the star on a jar. Use the suggestion in the manual on page 12 “Luke 2:40”) to finish out this lesson.
Tip: Secret acts of service are fun ways of following Jesus. Consider using the smaller stars included in this packet as tokens of acts of service. A family member can perform an anonymous act of service, then place a star by their service. For example: on a made bed, next to washed dishes, with a treat on a pillow.
Tip: Cut out a bunch of gifts. As family members make a good choice during the week, they can place a gift on your fridge, bulletin board or in a basket representing a gift given to Jesus. If they want, they can write what the gift was. Or perhaps the gift was a choice to not fall into temptation so the gift is something not done. At next week’s family home evening, count the gifts that were given, perhaps allowing family members to discuss how they felt giving their gifts to Jesus.
Interactions With the Savior - Figures and Game
Storyboard figures of people who interacted with Christ: Correlates to page 12 of Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families NT 2019. A Shephard, Simeon, Anna, A Wiseman and Mary.
Tip: Use these figures to support the manual suggestions on page 12 (Luke 2).
Tip: Play “Guess who I am.” Give each family member a picture card, without letting anyone else see who they got. (Make two copies if you have more than 8 in your family. If you have less than 8, members can take more than one card.) One by one, have each member say something that person might have said while interacting with Christ. A family member tries to guess who it is. If they guess correctly, that picture card is turned to show the identity. If the guess is incorrect, the person says “no” and the next family member says one thing that the person on their card would say while interacting with Christ. The person who gets the “YOU” card, says something about how they might have acted had they interacted with the Savior back then. Continue around the family until all the identities havebeen discovered.
Light of the World (Download)
Throughout the scriptures, Christ (and others) refers to himself as the Light of the World. This analogy helps us to consider deeply his influence and effect on our lives. Many times we are aware of that influence, but not always and not everyone. We know that all of us are born with the light of Christ, some refer to that as our conscience. It is the light which is in all things and which gives life. Jesus tells us that we are also the light of the world and that we should let our light shine. How do we gain our light and power? How can we be a light to the world ? What does it mean to hide our light under a bushel?
How are the following examples similar to the Light of Christ? Use the pictures to help your family or class discuss how the light of Christ relates to different sources of light in our lives. Allow family members or class members to elaborate on the analogies and add their own connections and ideas.
Flashlight
- Needs batteries: How can we re-charge our own light so that we don’t “run out” of energy?
- Good to use during a power outage: Are there times when our own light needs to shine extra bright during a spiritual “power outage?”
Candle
- Shares it’s light equally with everyone who comes near it: Can everyone who comes in our presence feel the light of Christ or is it available to only a few?
- Even when you can’t see the light, you can feel it’s warmth.
Sun
- Provides life, light and energy to the entire world. How is this like the Light of Christ?
Light in a home
- Someone needs to flip the switch to turn this light on. What can we do to turn the Light of Christ on in our home?
An Atom
- Scientists have recently discovered that every time an electron jumps from one shell to another, it releases a photon, a speck of light! Every cell in our body literally contains light! Older children and adults may find some comfort in comparing the light that develops within each cell, and the light of Christ.
Just like Jesus, I am growing too! - NT Packet 2.8 (Download)
This packet is included in New Testament Bundle 2
January 14 - 20, Luke 2 and Matthew 2
Coloring page and growing activity: Correlates to page 12 of Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families NT 2019. (Luke 2:52)
Tip: Allow family members to “Grow a plant” by having each family member share a way they have grown, then taping a section of the plant to the wall (like a tall beanstalk.) Family members can tape several sections to the beanstalk.
Tip: To save on ink, print the black and white beanstalk on green construction paper.
Tip: The phrase “I used to __________ but now I _________” is often used to show children they are capable of growing and changing.
“I used to need help tying my shoes, but now I can get ready to go all by myself.”
Along with responses like tying shoes, include responses that show how we increase in wisdom and stature.
“I used to need help saying prayers, but now I can pray all by myself.”
“I used to get angry when my little sister knocked over my blocks, but now I feel happy when I share with her.”
Adults too!
“I used to get to church late all the time, but now I am usually 10 minutes early.”